1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of vehicle accessories. More particularly, the present invention relates to the field of sun screens for shielding the sun's rays or on coming headlights from direct line of sight of the eyes of a driver driving a vehicle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many prior art devices have been proposed in the past for shielding the sun's rays from direct line of sight of the driver's eyes while driving a vehicle. Presently, vehicles have a visor that swivels outwardly and downwardly from the vehicle's roof. Such visors only cover a limited area and it is difficult to swing or pivot the same to block substantially all directions of the sunlight. Although many attachments have been suggested in the past, no prior art visor is known which can block the sunlight substantially in any direction.
The following thirteen (13) prior art patents were uncovered in the pertinent field of the present invention:
1. U.S. Pat. No. 390,790 issued to Luce on Oct. 9, 1888 for "Sunshade For Vehicles" (hereafter "the Luce Patent");
2. U.S. Pat. No. 1,473,878 issued to Roy on Nov. 13, 1923 for "Glare Shield Device" (hereafter "the Roy Patent");
3. U.S. Pat. No. 1,791,699 issued to Ayersman on Feb. 10, 1931 for "Glare Shield For Automobiles" (hereafter "the Ayersman Patent");
4. U.S. Pat. No. 1,922,295 issued to Hunter on Aug. 15, 1933 for "Inside Glare Shield" (hereafter "the Hunter Patent");
5. British Patent No. 224,434 issued to Reeves on Nov. 13, 1924 for "A New Or Improved Light Subduing Screen For Motor Vehicles" (hereafter "the '434 British Patent");
6. British Patent No. 436,479 issued to O'Riordan on Oct. 11, 1935 for "Improvements In Or Connected With Joints For Brackets And The Like" (hereafter "the '479 British Patent");
7. British Patent No. 475,136 issued to Austin on Nov. 15, 1937 for "Improvements In Or Relating To Glare Visors For Vehicles" (hereafter "the '136 British Patent");
8. French Patent No. 589,296 (hereafter "the '296 French Patent");
9. French Patent No. 665,300 (hereafter "the '300 French Patent");
10. French Patent No. 735,389 (hereafter "the '389 French Patent");
11. German Patent No. 868,400 (hereafter "the '400 German Patent");
12. Japanese Patent No. 57-182,521 (hereafter "the '521 Japanese Patent"); and
13. Japanese Patent No. 58-116,223 (hereafter "the '223 Japanese Patent").
The Luce Patent discloses a sunshade for vehicles. It comprises a vertical angular bracket, a horizontal arm pivotedly attached to the vertical angular bracket, two horizontal swinging telescopic bars and a vertical and longitudinal swinging shade frame. One of the two horizontal swinging telescopic bars is pivotedly attached the horizontal arm. The swinging shade frame is attached to the other one of the two horizontal swinging telescopic bars.
The Roy Patent discloses a glare shield device. It comprises a clamp member, a tube attached to the clamp member, a cylindrical bar extends telescopically into the tube, and a glare shield attached to the cylindrical bar. Joints in the glare shield device effect the movement of the glare shield in the horizontal and vertical planes.
The Ayersman Patent discloses a glare shield for automobiles. It comprises a screen which has a channel shaped rib bent to arcuate form, a rod rigidly secured to the channel and is arranged as a chord with a rounded portion, a sheet of colored transparent material gripped between sides of the channel shaped rib, and supporting means frictionally engaged with the rounded portion and extends to a point adjacent the center of the arc of the rib.
The Hunter Patent discloses an inside glare shield. It comprises a support with a plurality of notches formed along its length and mounted on an automobile. A sliding member is slidably engaged with the support. A spring actuated means is adapted to be selectively engaged to any of the notches to releasably lock the sliding member in adjusted position along the length of the support. The sliding member has an outstanding horizontal ear with notches and an arm pivoted to the ear for swinging movement in a horizontal plane. The spring actuated means on the arm is adapted to selectively engage the notches on the ear to lock the arm in adjusted position. A glare shield is adjustably mounted upon the arm.
The '434 British Patent discloses a light subduing screen for vehicles. The light screen is attached to an outer linking arm which is attached to an inner linking arm. The inner linking arm is attached to a support structure which is mounted to the vehicle. The light screen can be positioned to any position to shield the eyes of the driver.
The '479 British Patent discloses an improvement in or connected with joints for brackets and the like.
The '136 British Patent discloses improvements in or relating to glare visors for vehicles.
The '296 French Patent, as disclosed from the figures shows a screen attached to an outer linking arm which is connected to an inner linking arm.
The '389 French Patent, as disclosed from the figures shows a screen attached to a telescoping rod.
The '300 French Patent, as disclosed from the figures shows a screen attached to a telescoping rod.
The '400 German Patent discloses a glare shield of a light absorbent material in the field of vision of the driver driving a vehicle such that only a small portion of the total field of vision is shielded.
The '251 Japanese Patent discloses a spot covering type sun visor. It comprises an expansion arm which has five pipes with different diameters so that it can be freely expanded and contracted. A small sized sun visor is fixed to the small diameter tip of the arm and the large diameter part constitute a spherical joint such that the base part is pivotably supported with respect to support means, where the support means is attached to a front window of a vehicle.
The '223 Japanese Patent discloses a sun glass type sun-shade apparatus for a vehicle.
None of these prior art patents have disclosed a sun shield swivel apparatus which is designed and constructed for mechanically holding, maneuvering and maintaining the desired position to block the sunlight from direct line of sight of the driver's eyes while driving a vehicle, and such that the road conditions will not effect a sun screen from the desired position. It is highly desirable to have a very efficient and also very effective design and construction of a sun shield swivel apparatus which can swivel to any position imaginable inside the vehicle, thereby blocking substantially the sunlight. It is desirable to provide a sun shield swivel apparatus with the capability of rapidly changing the position of a sun screen in a much more efficient way which will not interfere with the normal use and effectiveness of the vehicle.